Direction is more important than speed

We all know that to have a successful creative life, you need passion, perseverance and grit. You need that drive deep within yourself that literally can’t be without creativity, for without it, you may as well not exist. It’s the same way writers feel about writing, or actors feel about acting. The same way melancholy personalities strive for order and quietly ticking off boxes as much as an outgoing personality craves company, friends and socialising.

The one thing with that first one, though – passion – is that it can sometimes be an unruly beast with no direction. So many ideas! Very inspiration! Much designs! (Thank you, doge)

If there’s just one thing you do in your creative career, remember that direction is so much more important than speed. Many people are going nowhere fast. There’s no race – there’s only a journey that is unique to each one of us. It’s an illusion of campaigns that human nature prods us to keep up with. An inner critic that tells us we are not doing enough, fast enough, good enough in comparison to others in our field.

Not everything is suited to everyone. E-books and e-courses? Not for me (at least not at this stage, I do prefer to never say never). And while they are perfectly suited to someone else’s direction, things like classes and twitter chats (and in fact, Twitter itself) are all not priorities for me in my creative life. I stick to what I know is suited to the direction I want to go in.

As a side note, Twitter is one of those things I tried and you know what, I just don’t like it. I hardly ever use it and it doesn’t really add much value to my direction. It feels like a chore to me and wasted energy. I’m thinking of scrapping it altogether in 2016 and putting that energy into something else.

So how do you stay on track and in the right direction?

Slow things down, and don’t rush the process.

Don’t compare yourself to others, focus on your goals. Don’t get distracted by what others are churning out.

Don’t be afraid to ‘waste time’ trying new things or making mistakes. It’s part of figuring out what works for you and what doesn’t, which defines your direction.

Set mini goals and revisit them regularly, but meet them in your own time.

If you find yourself stressed and overwhelmed then take a break. It’s that simple. The world is not gonna end if you miss a post or if a job is taking longer than you thought.

Here’s to staying focused on your direction, no matter how slowly you go.

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I have been having very similar thoughts about my blog and online presence lately – doing it my way. Not caring much for the “right” way to do things in order to succeed. Love this graphic, and love the quote (the title of the post!). Happy to have stumbled upon your blog today :)

Thanks Katia! I just read your post on your 2016 mantras and goals, I like the point about being flexible and just seeing where things take you. I find the ‘rules’ stifling too, although they have their place, if everyone followed them to the tee we’d all be a pretty boring bunch, don’t you think? Haha. I look forward to reading more from your blog! xx